God loves the man, but not his sin

THE EDITOR: Having recently read the article captioned “Not all gays are filthy perverts” (Newsday, Friday August 15, 2003), I feel compelled to give a response to Mr Ethan G and all gays alike who are trapped in the dilemma he presents in his letter. What particularly caught my attention is his attempt to prove that God approves of homosexuality. I love the Lord God very much and I try every day, by the help of His Holy Spirit, to live a life pleasing to him. I fail many times but He has always forgiven me, when I truly repent of my sins. From my readings of the scripture, a true Christian life means denying oneself ie the way you want to live and live the way God wants you to live. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up is cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24).

Having said that, I would like to show from the Bible some simple scriptures that show what God thinks about the act of homosexuality. I believe like everyone else that God loves us for, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)
Homosexuality is nothing new; it has been around for a long time, way before the nation of Israel was born. It was present in Sodom. When the angels came to minister to Lot, the men of the city exclaimed “Bring them out to us, that we may know them” (Gen 19:5b). The expression ‘know them’ in this context means know them sexually, for in Gen 19:8, Lot offered his virgin daughters to the men, who blatantly refused to have them in their desire for the two angels. Lot did this to protect the angels, however, the angels were well able to take care of themselves. When God formed the nation Israel, He gave them specific laws to follow concerning all aspects of life including moral conduct. Of homosexuality, He simply says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination,” (Lev 18:22). The phrase “lie with” refers in context, to sexual intercourse. “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them.” (Lev 20:13) Any Bible based religion that teaches otherwise has simply misunderstood the scripture.

In the New Testament, Paul, in speaking of those on whom the wrath of God will fall, writes, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour, their bodies among themselves, who exchange the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator ... For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women, exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what s shameful ...” (Rom 1: 24-27) Protestants, Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians and all other Bible based religions ought to follow the above instructions on the issue. Even the most illiterate person once this is explained as is, can understand what God requires of us. The Bible is God’s instruction book for mankind. We need to follow what God tells us to do in His word. The act of homosexuality is an abomination to God, ie, it disgusts Him. It is contrary to how He designed things to be. He made men and women’s bodies to complement each other sexually.

Any deviation is displeasing to Him, including sex before marriage and adultery. The act is detestable, but God loves the men involved. He sent His son to die in their stead so that they could be free of the bondage of this deception. The penalty for the act is death, as plainly stated in the scriptures, but Jesus died so we could be saved from this penalty, if we simply accept His sacrifice for us. Mr Ethan G’s conclusion that “What one feels in his heart to be right — when his conscience is clear on doing what is perceived to be right, is in fact the right thing for that individual, is only true if God is not in the picture.” In this conclusion, we are accountable to ourselves, as if, we are the final authority, however, if you believe in God, He is our final authority. We are accountable to Him. In the earlier quoted scripture, which begins “God gave them up to their uncleanness,” we see what happens when men don’t retain God in their hearts and thoughts. Perversion of God’s perfect unchangeable laws.

God says of the heart, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind.” Jer (17: 9-10) A heart without God is not something we can trust to give us the proper answers to life’s questions. A heart submitted to God, denying our wills, and ourselves is the only way to find the truth about life and our existence here on earth. I can look at a blackboard and believe it is white, with all my heart. Does that make the board white? You decide! It is not true to say that the soul has no gender, for to say that would be to deny the very essence of the character God seeks to create in us. It is more accurate to say spirit beings, like angels, have no gender. When those in Christ put on a body similar to His, ie becoming spirit, we would no longer have the desires and cravings of the flesh, including the need for sex. However, while we are flesh, we are to abide by the things God permitted to be done in the flesh.

In conclusion, if one truly wants to please God and serve Him, he would not choose the lifestyle of a homosexual. From scriptures presented, it is a sin “he who commits sexual immorality, sins against his own body” (1 Corinth 6:18b). Our bodies are sacred to God. He wants to live in them “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinth 6:19a) “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Eph 4:30). I say to Gay men, God loves you and wants to free you from this lifestyle of sin. Just call on Him through His son Jesus Christ and He will free you from the bondage you are in. God will indeed judge us all one day, can you honestly say beyond the shadow of a doubt, after all the evidence presented, that He is pleased with you?

MICHAEL RAMDASS
Arouca